The Presidential Office Building ( uk, Будинок Секретаріату Президента) is an architectural monument of

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...

, the capital of

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

. The building is the main office of the

Office of the President of Ukraine The Office of the President of Ukraine ('' uk, Офіс Президента України'') (formerly ''Administration of the President of Ukraine'', uk, Адміністрація Президента) is a standing advisory body set up by ...

and of the

National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC; uk, Рада національної безпеки і оборони України, RNBO or RNBOU) is the coordinating state body of the executive power under the President of Ukrai ...

. It is located at 11 Bankova vulytsia and was initially a reconstruction of the

Kyiv Military District The Kiev Military District (; , abbreviated ) was a military district of the Imperial Russian Army and subsequently of the Red Army and Soviet Armed Forces. It was first formed in 1862, and was headquartered in Kiev (Kyiv) for most of its exi ...

headquarters that was built sometime in the 1870s to Oleksandr Shile's design. The building is considered the peak of an architectural artistic work and was built after all government institutions of the

Ukrainian SSR The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...

were transferred to Kyiv from

Kharkiv Kharkiv ( uk, wikt:Харків, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine.Ukrainian Baroque Ukrainian Baroque, or Cossack Baroque or Mazepa Baroque ( uk, Українське бароко або Козацьке бароко), is an architectural style that was widespread in the Ukrainian lands in the 17th and 18th centuries. It was th ...

. First that may strike visitors it is the unbelievable thickness of building's walls. Specialists explain that it was due to restrictions to build administrative buildings in the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

of the 1930s which forced to dodge it by building a new structure on the already existing foundation. The new design made a great use of the symmetric campuses of the previous Shile's design of the 1870s. The new building was considered a reconstruction with some new elements. Its wings were extended, while in the center was formed a special composition - massive

risalit An ''avant-corps'' ( it, avancorpo or , plural , german: Risalit, pl, ryzalit), a French term literally meaning "fore-body", is a part of a building, such as a porch or pavilion, that juts out from the ''corps de logis'', often taller than othe ...

with an inserted colonnade of the great

Corinthian order The Corinthian order (Greek: Κορινθιακός ρυθμός, Latin: ''Ordo Corinthius'') is the last developed of the three principal classical orders of Ancient Greek architecture and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric order ...

. The governing monumentality of the building is underlined by a heavy

entablature An entablature (; nativization of Italian , from "in" and "table") is the superstructure of moldings and bands which lies horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and ...

along with a glazed

stylobate In classical Greek architecture, a stylobate ( el, στυλοβάτης) is the top step of the crepidoma, the stepped platform upon which colonnades of temple columns are placed (it is the floor of the temple). The platform was built on a level ...

of a polished grey

tint In color theory, a tint is a mixture of a color with white, which increases lightness, while a shade is a mixture with black, which increases darkness. Both processes affect the resulting color mixture's relative saturation. A tone is produc ...

labradorite Labradorite (( Ca, Na)( Al, Si)4 O8) is a calcium-enriched feldspar mineral first identified in Labrador, Canada, which can display an iridescent effect ( schiller). Labradorite is an intermediate to calcic member of the plagioclase series. It ...

("under coat"). The front entrance of the building is flanked by four rock spheres. The architect planned the design to such extent considering all the details that the big building regardless of being located on a narrow street not only did not squashed its surroundings, but also is well observed from all points: from the Instytutska and Lutheranska vulytsi, from the neighboring Franko Square and the remotely located Mykhailiv Square. In its courtyard are located a dining hall, a laundry room, cleaners, a printing house etc.

References

External links

*
Information about the building at the presidential website, including photos and a slide show

''Our 20. Year 1991''
"Inter" {{Presidency of Ukraine Government buildings in Ukraine Buildings and structures in Kyiv Pecherskyi District Government buildings completed in 1939 Neoclassical architecture in Kyiv